This excellent little critterbot is far smaller than the other robots in use by the military, and is being considered as a way to scout possibly-hostile buildings and areas. I was skeptical of its usability until I saw its little flippers come out and get it up that curb. It looks simple but it was probably very difficult to get the weight and center of gravity right on this little thing. It weighs less than a pound and fits in a big cargo pocket.

Oh god oh god! Household monsters are becoming real! This biomimetic slugbot is meant to pick up dust around the house, but it reminds me more of low-level enemies in NES games than any of its robot helper contemporaries. The Fukitorimushi (”wipe-up bug”) is an autonomous robot like a Roomba, but it moves in a freaky inchworm style. The funny thing is, it would be creepy enough without the microfiber cloth wrapped around it, but with it the thing is absolutely terrifying.

Most deep-underwater devices are round and inoffensive; why does this one need to be so sinister? In fact, it’s reminiscent of a certain other robot which occupies an antagonistic relationship with mankind. Not sure what I’m talking about? Here’s a hint: “woah.”

Something about the world’s smallest humanoid robot dancing in front of its own certificate is both heartwarming and hilarious. Even the rude metal riffs just add a layer cuteness.

The headline makes it sound a little more sinister than it is, but that’s really the gist of it. QB1, a robot created by Swiss group OZWE, is essentially a next-generation music playing machine. While things like Pandora and Genius playlists are changing the way people interact with their music within the confines of the traditional OS, OZWE wanted to change the way we interacted with our entertainment devices in the first place. It’s aware of its surroundings in 3D, recognizes faces and pictures, and can interpret gestures. I was skeptical at first, but on reflection, the QB1 seems like a really interesting and powerful idea.

The QB1’s screen turns to face you, but that’s the limit of its movement. It also shows a sort of shadow version of you and your surroundings, which helps you make gestures on-screen. But although its stated capabilities are interesting, it’s the implied capabilities which seem more important. Think of the convenience of multi-touch gestures applied to all your media, and not limited to a small patch on your laptop. Raise your hand and make your fingers into a shelf, then lower it — the volume decreases. Spin your finger around clockwise to fast forward, counter-clockwise to rewind. Speak the name of a song, or the track number, or hold up an album cover to play it. This from anywhere in the same room as the QB1 — or whatever successor makes good on these ideas.

CB2, Child-robot with Biomimetic Body, is slowly learning how to recognize facial expressions. He’s already taught himself how to walk by observing humans do it. Hopefully no one’s using a machete around this thing, else we’re all in really big trouble.

Don’t you people see what’s happening? They’re taking over! First our pets, then our fashion models (expensive pets essentially), and now… our fish? Well, if you’re planning on replacing the world’s natural organisms with your own silicon creations (as the machines certainly are), then it makes sense to start small. Self-replicating micromachines, solar-powered bugs, and now mechanical fishies are going to be deployed into our waters, possibly to prey on the fleshly fish (and algae).

With this latest advance in biomimetic weaponry, BigDog will truly be striking fear into the hearts of America’s enemies. When they see his burnished horns bobbing at them out of a background of terror and carnage, they’ll drop their weapons and cower. I think they’ve got a little to work on with the speed of the charge, but that’s just a technical quibble.

Although you and I don’t enjoy the benefits of pleasure droids and personal guard robots at this time, that doesn’t mean they aren’t deploying them in backwater armed conflicts to test their viability. The robot wars are bearing down upon us like a murderous cybernetic freight train, and we’d do best to acknowledge it and prepare for the consequences. Or at least so says P.W. Singer, whose book Wired for War predicts an explosion in military robotics much like the boom in internet and computer tech in the 90s.

Sweet lord, no! I don’t want to be ground into organic engine oil for hunter-seekers! How long do we have left?

Anyone catch the Saturday Night Live “Commercials Only” special on Sunday night? Some of them were hit or miss, but the commercial for Old Glory Robot Attack Insurance featuring Sam Waterston was pretty funny. It aired during the 1995 season of SNL but is still relevant today.

Get ready for a lot more stories like this, kids. Man, only in Japan would they build a robot designed to love. The experiment gone wrong took place in Kyoto, at a Toshiba robotic research facility. Why Toshiba is experimenting with hugbots is beyond me, but that’s not the issue here (never thought I’d say that). After the robot (Kenji) became very friendly indeed with a doll, it became infatuated with a female intern. One night it blocked the exit and began to hug her with his enormous hydraulic arms. He expressed his sentiment in animal noises.

Remember BigDog? And its diminutive friend, LittleDog? Here’s a little more footage and testimony from the soldiers at Fort Benning in Alabama. There’s not a lot of new info but it’s nice to see it’s actually in real trials and not sitting in a lab somewhere. I think they’re going to need to do something about that buzzing noise, though.

Vernon Graner of the Austin Robot Group has built a three-story-tall robot in the hopes of “evoking dialogue” and “finding ways to get people excited about technology again.” Mission accomplished, sir. Your gigantic robot is truly a wonder to behold.

Honda’s ASIMO has conducted an orchestra and even served cocktails. Now Honda has added a 360° look at the technology in ASIMO that lets him do all of that. You can see it here.

What do you get the man who has everything? How about his own private sidewalk? No better way to avoid the gum and dog doo — plus, the robot pavement is scary enough that people will move out of your way, kneel, and say:

“Stranger — though you are nothing like mortal men in shape or stature, but are as the deathless gods — hail and all happiness to you, and may the gods give you good.”

You have to walk really slow, though.

[via TechEBlog]

I was looking at this image of Jony Ive in the Apple R&D lab from the upcoming film about tech design, Objectified, and I spied something odd. Back in the corner there was some sort of weird device and, now, after doing a little digging, it seems that Apple is far more advanced than we originally assumed.

Takara Tony has relreleased one of the defining gadgets of my childhood, albeit in a considerably less cool form. The Chrono Label comes in Destron and Autoceptor styles and has a front display that can display full letters and numbers. Why? I don’t know.